Fate
A Scion’s actions ripple throughout the world, creating subtle eddies and powerful riptides that ensnare mortals caught in the Scion’s pull. This is Fate at work: the inexorable weaving of a nascent divinity’s mythology. The Gods call the process by which mortals become drawn into the stories of the divine Fatebinding, and many of their greatest triumphs and tragedies can be traced back to it. Fatebindings latch to a Hero and Demigod directly, but tend to attach themselves to a God’s Mantle, or their divine oversoul. They act to define a God and how the God’s relationships will play out in the future, which is another reason many Gods are careful to stay in the Overworld (which is devoid of the trappings of Fate, and where they feel the tug of Fatebindings but rarely) and act through intermediaries (like Scions). The Gods refrain from direct action because doing so shakes up the ordered destiny of the cosmos, and because it alters the way her divine power might manifest itself in the future (not to mention her very conception of self). By embracing this radical change, Gods who interact with their peoples during a crisis can find themselves and their mantle radically changed — as happened to the Òrìshà during the Middle Passage. Fatebinding When a Scion draws on the deepest reserves of her Legend, nearby mortals are sometimes caught up in the Scion’s story. Much the way an improvisational storyteller spontaneously weaves a new character into her tale, Fate decrees that the mortal will have a role to play in the Scion’s epic. The mortal in question might become a bit player for a brief time or a defining pillar of the Scion’s life as Fate chooses an archetypal role and guides the Fatebound mortal into it. It’s very important to note that Fate is not “mind control.” It doesn’t override a mortal’s will, force them to do things they don’t want to do, or otherwise turn them into puppets. What it does is find people who were already predisposed to fill a particular role in the Scion’s Legend and makes it very, very easy for them to go along with it. Someone Fatebound to a Scion as a Paramour isn’t suddenly struck with a compulsion to love her; rather, Fate finds someone who was either already romantically interested in (or at least attracted to) the Scion, or whose “type” the Scion fits, and manipulates events such that they encounter each other in settings conducive to furthering a romantic relationship. Either party can turn away from the path if they have a compelling reason to. Think of it like going for a walk in the woods. If you’re not consciously trying to get somewhere in particular, you’ll probably pick the path of least resistance: downhill, out of the hot sun, etc. Fate just makes sure that the path of least resistance is the one that leads to the Fatebound role. Fatebinding Basics *'Legend Limit': A character may not have more Fatebinding Conditions than she has dots in Legend. *'Storyguide Characters Only': Only Storyguide characters may be Fatebound, and only to characters of higher Tier. *'Acquiring Fatebindings': Once per session, you may acquire a new Fatebinding at Strength 1 to regain 1 point of Legend. You and the Storyguide must work together to decide on an appropriate Fatebinding Condition and Storyguide character to be Fatebound; this can be a new character if no extant characters seem to fit. High-Level Fatebinding The relationships created by Fatebinding as described here are specific to Hero-level Scions. As a Scion’s Legend grows, Fate takes a more direct hand in shaping her. At Demigod level, Scions still find themselves bound to relationships with mortals, though those relationships are just as often with whole groups or societies as with individuals. Demigods can also become Fatebound to mythical beings, but the biggest difference is that Fate actively punishes Demigods who try to step outside their Fatebindings. This level is where you start to see things like Cú Chulainn being brought low by breaking his geasa or the Æsir going willingly to their deaths at Ragnarok. Gods are far more dramatically affected by Fatebindings. Not only can they become bound to entire peoples and cultures, Gods find themselves (or at least, their Godly Mantles) changed by their Fatebindings just as much as those they’re bonded with. You can see this in the character of Ares/Mars, who is variously a vainglorious coward, a rampaging brute, or the model of martial virtue, depending on what Mantle he wears and what societies (e.g. Athens vs. Sparta, Asia Minor vs. Rome) those Mantles are Fatebound to. It’s for this reason that Gods are reluctant to engage directly with the World, preferring to act through intermediaries like their Scions. Multiple Fatebindings Most of the time, an SGC can only be Fatebound to one character, and only as one archetype at a time. If you’ve got a large group or your players are triggering Fatebindings often, though, that can lead to supporting cast bloat. In that case, it’s okay for one character’s Paramour to be another’s Rival, for example. Be mindful of creating schisms within the group, and avoid it unless party infighting is your desired goal. Also, any Resolution of a Fatebinding Condition that removes the character from play must have the consent of all players whose characters are Fatebound to that character. : Fatebinding other PCs Don’t. Fatebinding is a tool to tie Storyguide characters into a Scion’s story, not a tool to force potentially unwanted relationships on other players. While Storyguide characters exist to serve the story, PCs are solely under the control of their own players. Even though Fatebinding isn’t mind control and any character can resist Fate’s path, it’s still potentially coercive to dictate another PC’s relationship to your own. : Even if the other PCs are mortal, by virtue of being the protagonists they’re immune to being Fatebound to other PCs. Effectively, they’re already Fatebound to themselves. Fatebindings are represented as a pair of Persistent Conditions. The Storyguide character receives the Fatebound Condition, while the Scion she’s Fatebound to receives a Condition representing the role of the Fatebound character. Role Conditions look a little different than other Conditions. Instead of simply having a system and a means of resolution, they have three components: *'Invoke': Once per session, a player may invoke one of her character’s role Conditions for a minor benefit. If the Fatebound character isn’t present in the scene already, she’s assumed to the character’s presence is totally implausible (e.g. the Scion is in solitary confinement in the dungeons of Jinnistan, or it’s already been established that the SGC is present in another scene happening on the other side of town at the same time), but should err on the side of allowing it. Invoking a Fatebinding is always a reflexive action. *'Compel': Once per session, a player or the Storyguide may compel one of the character’s role Conditions to introduce an obstacle or difficulty related to the Fatebinding. The Scion gains a point of Legend for his trouble. *'Resolve': A player may resolve one of her character’s role Conditions for a more dramatic benefit than invoking. Resolving a Condition has permanent, long-lasting effects on the Fatebound: either removing them from play or changing the nature of the Fatebinding. *Note: “Once per session” here means you can invoke and compel each of your character’s role Conditions once per session. Conditions Fatebound The character is Fatebound to a Scion, and destiny has begun to subtly encourage him to fall into a particular role in the Scion’s myth. This Condition is always linked to a role Condition on the Scion; ending either Condition ends the other. Fatebound has a Strength value, which determines both the raw power of the Fatebinding and its duration, as follows: Strength 5 Fatebindings last even beyond the death or apotheosis of either party; if the Scion’s player creates a new character who is the reincarnation of her previous character, the Fatebinding transfers over. Likewise, if the Fatebound mortal dies, his ghost wakes in the Underworld of the Scion’s pantheon and remains Fatebound — though at the Storyguide’s discretion, the SGC’s role might change (usually, though not always, to Jinx, Nemesis, or Rival). The Fatebound character may never be removed from play by the resolution of a role Condition. System: Each time the linked role Condition is invoked, the Storyguide rolls the Fatebinding’s Strength + the Scion’s Legend as part of a complex action. When the number of milestones reached exceeds the current Strength of the Fatebinding, increase its Strength by 1 and reset the accumulated milestones to 0. Resolution: The Fatebound Condition ends (without resolving) when its duration expires. If its Strength is less than 5, it also ends (without resolving) when the Fatebound character dies or is otherwise permanently removed from play. Types of Fatebound 'Imperiled' Some external force has put the Fatebound character (or the relationship itself) at risk. This Condition is normally applied by compelling a role Condition, but the Storyguide may apply it in other instances to generate plot or bring a neglected character back into the story. System: The Storyguide defines a Peril that the Scion must remove. This can be literal, physical peril (“the asuras captured Steve!”), a favor the Fatebound character needs (“I’m in deep with Sigrun Leg-breaker, can you spot me?”) or a problem in the relationship itself (“that’s the fourth time you’ve blown off date night!”). Whatever the Peril, addressing it shouldn’t take more than a scene (an action-adventure scene against the asuras, intrigue with the loan shark, or a complex action to arrange a perfect date), but it should require a hard choice or risk on the character’s part. Resolve: The character successfully addresses the Peril. The Storyguide rolls the Fatebinding’s Strength + the Scion’s Legend, as if the Fatebinding’s role Condition had been invoked. If, by the end of the current Arc, the character has made no attempt to address the Peril, this Condition ends without resolving and the Peril comes to pass. This could mean any of the following, depending on the Peril: *The Fatebound character dies. *The Fatebinding’s Strength drops by 1. *The Fatebinding ends immediately. *The Fatebound character’s role changes, probably to Jinx, Nemesis, Rival, or Traitor. If the character tried but failed to address the Peril by the end of the story, this Condition persists (and the Storyguide should probably make the Peril worse). It’s only if the character makes no serious attempt at all that disaster falls. 'Apprentice' Fate encourages the Fatebound mortal to learn from the Scion, whether that’s a particular skill, a philosophy, or just general life lessons. Invoke: Apprentices learn by blundering into mistakes their teachers know to avoid. Invoke this Condition after a failed action; the Storyguide must offer a Complication rather than Consolation. If the Complication’s rating is equal to or less than the Fatebinding’s Strength, it affects the Apprentice instead. Compel: Apprentices choose the worst times to try to “help.” The Scion gains 1 Legend, and her next action is a mixed action: whatever she was originally trying to do, plus stopping her Apprentice from doing something disastrous. The Storyguide decides on a dice pool for the second action and consequences for failure, but it has a Difficulty equal to half the Fatebinding’s Strength. Resolve: Wisdom comes from the mouths of babes. Thanks to the Apprentice’s timely efforts, one complex action automatically achieves a number of Milestones equal to half the Fatebinding’s Strength. The Scion’s player then chooses one of the following options: *The Apprentice dies, or is otherwise taken out of play permanently. The Scion fulfills a Deed, and suffers a Crisis for an appropriate Calling. *The Apprentice decides he’s learned all he can from the Scion; convert this Fatebinding to a Rival of the same Strength. 'Balm' The Fatebound is in the right position to calm the Scion, to balance her extremes and to keep her centered. Invoke: The Balm pulls the Scion back from the brink of her most extreme behavior: Her Virtue rating slides toward the center of the track. This counts as resolving the Virtuous Condition. This Condition can’t be invoked if the Scion is already in the center of the Virtue track. Compel: The Balm’s soothing presence makes the Scion question her Virtues. Compel this Condition when the Scion reinforces a Virtue: She gains 1 Legend, but earns no Momentum and only slides her Virtue if it would move her toward the center of the track. Resolve: A dramatic display of Virtue either changes the relationship forever or ends it catastrophically. The Scion immediately sets her Virtue to either the far left or the far right of the track and gains Momentum as though she’d just fulflled that Virtue. The Scion’s player then chooses one of the following options: *The Balm dies, or is otherwise taken out of play permanently. The Scion fulflls a Deed, and suﬀers a Crisis for an appropriate Calling. *The Balm’s relationship with the Scion deepens; convert this Fatebinding to a Boon Companion, Paramour, or Unrequited Paramour of the same Strength.